Supply Ship To Carry Name Of Famed Aviatrix
The Navy will launch and christen the USNS Amelia Earhart at
a 2100 PDT ceremony on April 6, 2008. The christening ceremony
for the newest ship in the Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) class of
underway replenishment ships will be held at the General Dynamics
NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
Designated as T-AKE 6, the new ship honors aviation pioneer
Amelia Mary Earhart for her courage, vision and groundbreaking
achievements, both in aviation and for women.
Earhart's name became a household word in 1932 when she became
the first woman -- and second person -- to fly solo across the
Atlantic, flying from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to Londonderry,
Ireland. That year, she received the Distinguished Flying Cross
from the US Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor
from the French government, and the Gold Medal of the National
Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover. In January 1935,
Earhart became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific
Ocean from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif. Later that year she soloed
from Los Angeles to Mexico City and back to Newark, NJ.
In July 1936, Earhart took delivery of a Lockheed 10E "Electra,"
financed by Purdue University, and started planning her
around-the-world flight.
Rep. Susan A. Davis will deliver the ceremony's principal
address. Earhart's niece, Amy Kleppner, will serve as ship's
sponsor. The launching ceremony will include the time-honored Navy
tradition when the sponsor breaks a bottle of champagne across the
bow to formally christen the ship "Amelia Earhart."
The USNS Amelia Earhart is the sixth ship in the Navy's 11-ship
T-AKE class. The ship will directly contribute to the ability of
the Navy to maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering
ammunition, food, fuel, and other dry cargo to US and allied ships
at sea. The ship is designed to operate independently for
extended periods at sea and can carry and support two helicopters
to conduct vertical replenishment.
As part of Military Sealift Command's (MSC) Naval Fleet
Auxiliary Force,the USNS Amelia Earhart is designated as a United
States Naval Ship (USNS) and will be crewed by 124 civil service
mariners working for Military Sealift Command's. The ship will also
have a military detachment of 11 US Navy sailors to provide supply
coordination.
One previous ship has been named for Earhart. The SS Amelia
Earhart was a Liberty ship built in the US during World War II.